Postdoc, Soil Biogeochemistry & Ecosystem Modeling

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 76,000 - 103,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

UC retirement plan (Safe Harbor)

Paid time off incl. holidays

Postdoctoral Paid Family Leave

Professional development & networking

Job summary

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher to explore controls on soil carbon and nutrient cycling and their response to soil temperature and depth. The role involves a grassland soil-warming experiment in Point Reyes, CA, with opportunities to apply isotopic analysis, remote sensing, and ML/AI tools, under the guidance of Margaret Torn.

Applicants should have a recent Ph.D.

Qualifications

• Recent Ph.D. in ecology, soil science, biogeochemistry, earth sciences, or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in biogeochemistry.
• Demonstrated fieldwork experience.
• Experience handling large datasets and applying statistical analyses.
• Ability to spend multiple days per month at a field site, including overnight stays.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to carrying out a whole-soil warming experiment in collaboration with a multidisciplinary research team.
• Develop and pursue new research questions and innovative techniques related to soils and plant-soil interactions.
• Characterize carbon and nutrient cycling (e.g., N, P) in the warming experiment, including trace gas fluxes.
• Measure and utilize elemental and isotopic composition of soil, plant, and/or gas samples.
• Communicate research outcomes in scientific publications and presentations.
• Set up, operate, and maintain field and laboratory instruments.
• Contribute to the development of grant proposals and progress reports.
• Evaluate model structures and parameters and contribute to the improvement of model capabilities.
• Participate in studies of plant physiological responses, proximal remote sensing, microbial carbon use efficiency and microbial community responses, or subsurface water and dissolved organic matter chemistry.
• Contribute to laboratory investigations of soil organic matter and organo-mineral interactions.

Skills

Biogeochemistry

Fieldwork experience

Statistical analyses

Data handling

Microclimate monitoring

Modeling soil biogeochemical cycling

Independent collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in ecology/soil science/biogeochemistry/earth sciences

Tools

R

Matlab

Job description

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher to explore controls on soil carbon and nutrient cycling and their response to soil temperature and depth. The role involves a grassland soil-warming experiment in Point Reyes, CA, with opportunities to apply isotopic analysis, remote sensing, and ML/AI tools, under the guidance of Margaret Torn.

Applicants should have a recent Ph.D.